handwave

ˈhændˌweɪv

Definition

Definition of handwave - Reverso English Dictionary

Noun

communication

Rare

quickly reject a question or problem without real answer

Rare

He gave a handwave when asked about the mistake.

brush-off

cop-out

evasion

casual motion

Rare

gesture made with the hand to signal or dismiss

Rare

She gave a quick handwave to get their attention.

flourish

wave

Verb

tr.

dismissal

Rare

ignore or dismiss something without proper consideration

Rare

He tends to handwave any criticism.

dismiss

disregard

rhetoric

Rare

explain superficially, skipping important details

Rare

The professor tended to handwave complex theories during lectures.

gloss over

skim

summarize

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Origin of handwave

English, hand (manual) + wave (gesture)

Examples of handwave in a sentence

Don't accept that handwave about the missing funds.
He dismissed the question with a handwave.
A friendly handwave was all it took to say goodbye.
She tends to handwave complex questions during interviews.
The manager handwaved the concerns raised by the team.
She tends to handwave when asked for specifics.

Politicians often handwave during debates.

View all translations of handwave

✨Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.

French:réponse expéditive, ignorer, ...
German:Abwimmelung, abzuwinken, ...
Italian:risposta evasiva, liquidare, ...
Spanish:evasiva, ignorar, ...
Portuguese:evasiva, desconsiderar, ...
Chinese:搪塞, 忽视, ...
Japanese:ごまかし, 軽くあしらう, ...
Arabic:مراوغة, تَغَاضَى عَنْ, ...
Hebrew:הִתְחַמְּקוּת, לְהִתְעַלֵּם, ...
Russian:отмахнуться, игнорировать, ...
Ukrainian:відмахування, ігнорувати, ...
Hindi:हाथ हिलाना, अनदेखा करना, ...
Bengali:উড়িয়ে দেওয়া, উপেক্ষা করা, ...
Catalan:evasiva, descartar, ...
Czech:odbytí, smést, ...
Danish:bortforklaring, ignorere, ...
Dutch:afwimpeling, negeren, ...
Greek:αποφυγή απάντησης, αγνοώ, ...
Hungarian:legyintés, lesöpörni, ...
Khmer:ការធ្វើកាយវិការបដិសេធបញ្ហាដោយមិនឆ្លើយឱ្យច្បាស់, មិនអើពើ, ...
Korean:대충 넘기기, 묵살하다, ...
Persian:جواب سرسری, نادیده گرفت, ...
Polish:mignięcie ręką, zlekceważyć, ...
Portuguese (BR):desculpa evasiva, ignorar, ...
Romanian:esquivare, a ignora, ...
Swedish:undanflykt, vifta bort, ...
Thai:การตอบแบบผิวเผิน, ละเลย, ...
Turkish:geçiştirme, önemsizleştirmek, ...
Vietnamese:lơ đi, bác bỏ, ...

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Definition of handwave - Reverso English Dictionary

Noun

Verb

Origin of handwave

Terms related to handwave

Examples of handwave in a sentence

View all translations of handwave

Discover how Reverso redefines the dictionary

Go beyond “simple words”

Get more than a simple definition

Go from understanding to mastery